The former contracts manager of Sliema Council told a court this morning that then Sliema Mayor Nikki Dimech had sent him a message asking him to 'drop the case'.

Giving evidence in the police case against Mr Dimech, who is alleged to have solicited a bribe,Stephen Buhagiar said that in August last year, he applied to become contracts manager. At the end of the month, he had a conversation with Mr Dimech during which the mayor asked him: 'How much are you prepared to offer, 5% or 10%?'

Mr Buhagiar said he asked Mr Dimech how he could be expected to offer him anything from a contract of €1,200 month.

He said he had known Mr Dimech since about 18 months before the general election. Robert Arrigo had introduced him and Mr Buhagiar said he and Mr Arrigo had helped Mr Dimech to get elected.

Mr Buhagiar said he had been been previously employed with Mr Arrigo as his personal assistant.

He said that about four or five months after being handed the contracts manager job, he began to notice certain movements. He spoke to council member Bobby Cali and asked him why contractor Joe Vella was still kept on by the council despite problems. Mr Cali' replied that the contractor was serving the council well.

At one point, Mr Buhagiar said, he issued a default notice against Mr Vella. He was then approached by Thea Borg from the council who told him not to send default notices to contractors but to forward them to the council first.

Shortly afterwards, a motion was moved in the council for him to be removed, Mr Buhagiar said.

He said he had spoken to Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said and PN General Secretary Paul Borg Olivier and was then contacted by Martin Bugelli, Director-General of local councils, to whom he had explained what had happened.

Mr Buhagiar said that in July of this year he was contacted by Sliema Council clerk Daniel Micallef, who asked to speak to him. When they met, he relayed a message from the Mayor that he should either drop the case against him, or he would sue him over potholes near Sliema police station.

Mr Buhagiar said he subsequently spoke to the police .

At the end of his evidence, Mr Buhagiar said the person who was suffering from all this situation was himself, because he was still unemployed.

Giving evidence, Mr Micallef confirmed that he had been asked to relay the message by Mr Dimech. He said that Mr Buhagiar's reply was that Mr Dimech could face him himself and not depend on messages.

Replying to defence questions, Mr Micallef said there was ' a sea of differences' between Mr Dimech and Mr Buhagiar.

He said that Mr Dimech had not specified whether it was this or some other case which he had wanted Mr Buhagiar to drop.